Abismo de pasión #75 6/26/12: The Haunting of Horacio and a REALLY Stupid Plot Twist

Deep In The Mind of Horacio, Not Seen On Your TV Screen

True. There are many mysteries to be solved in La Ermita de Isabella, Merida, Yucatan. There are mysteries that I know about, and secrets that I do not know. But secrets accrete to me; it has always been like that. Many secrets predate my arrival in this ancient village, now an enclave inside the City of Merida. Yesterday, you may have noticed a list of secrets to be revealed in La Ermita, posted by Anon 207, a regular contributor to the Pasion thread. It was very thorough; Anon 207 is good at summarizing such things. For now, I am sick of my own secrets and it is starting to show in my health. I am excessively nervous, yes, nervous as a convent raised nun. I am more sensitive than you might think.

Is it true that my conversations with you are completely confidential? Yes? Well, I go on.

The problem is I have never been either bad enough or good enough to prosper in life, and those who tend to recognize such things can pick me out of a crowd at fifty paces. I am a weak man, but I have a capacity to recognize and appreciate pure good. This is what happened when I saw my Lolita. Ah, Lolita.  The purest, most good, best woman in the world. I thought when I saw her in the market, right after I came to La Ermitat to make a clean start, “A woman like that could make a man change. She could make him walk the straight and narrow”. And then she smiled at me. I would carry her milk forever. Now we are to be engaged. She knows none of my secrets. It must stay that way

The secrets I have with her employer—and now mine—Carmina, are quite damaging. Carmina is a bad, bad woman, pure and simple. She has some hold over Gabino, once my childhood friend—now just another guy with whom I have done deeds best left unspoken. There are quite a few of those guys out there in the world.

But here in La Ermita, there is only Gabino. Carmina found out about the arson at Don Lucio’s shop. She knows about Gabinos’ involvement and mine and first she got us to hijack some mail truck and exchange one letter for another. I have no idea what THAT was all about.  I do not like how she treat Lolita, but there is not much I can do about that now, and most recently she had me clean out some house in the village and dump its contents one town away. Perhaps there will be a way to deal with Carmina one day, but not now.

Today I was introduced to the town Priest and the Curandera when they came to bless the location of our new Butcher Shop. Don Lucio came to let us in. I was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, but I shook his and the priest’s hand. With my left hand. Why the left? I don’t know. It was the only hand available. When we went inside the whole place was extremely cold. This seems highly unlikely in Merida, because they have no refrigeration units there as yet, but I swear it was as cold as a walk-in freezer. Don Lucio became upset while we were there. I began to really twitch. You should have seen me then!

True, I twitch in the face even when I speak of the arson at Don Lucio’s shop. You are very observant. As I said I am very nervous these days. Am I anxious? Yes, I suppose, I could be called anxious. I do not sleep well.  My new hobby takes up so much of my time, but it is cheap and allows me to save all of my money to open the carneceria at Don Lucio’s place.

When Lolita and I are married, we will make a go of, it, I tell you. My Dad did, for many years. Where was that? In a village, far away from here. In what part of the country? North. North of here. Yes, north of here and west. The name of the town? It doesn’t matter, does it? I have not been there in 20 years; I have nothing to do with it anymore. No, no, I have no living family. Ah, am I twitching again? My nerves, my nerves, my horrible nerves.

Shall I tell you of my hobby? Yes, it does occupy a fair amount of my mind. I have taken up…sewing. It is actually a very soothing occupation. Fabric and thread are cheap and I became interested in it right after, well, right after the incident at Don Lucio’s. You won’t credit it, but one day, this Abuela came to me in a dream and told me that I had to learn to sew! I sew by hand for right now, because Abuela Bee, I call her Abuela Bee, says it is best to start at the beginning. My hands are large and clumsy for such work but she insists that I persist. I must learn, she says. I owe it to her. I have begun to dream of clothes I can make for Lolita! Wonderful designs, for the lovely Delores. Did you know the library has many free books on sewing. I am amazed at how much there is to know. Abuela Bee says that I must apply myself. Yes, yes, I used to just see her in my dreams but now she come around all the time. She is very soothing. I am less nervous when she is around. Doctora, are there drugs I should be taking to calm my poor nerves?...Horacio looks a bit wildly around the psychiatrist’s office.

Meanwhile…

Alfonsisna’s Big Ol’ Gas Guzzling SUV, Speeding To Merida Airport

·      In the car on the way to the Merida airport, Alfonsina Arango continues her blackmail of Florencia Landuchi.

·      If Flo doesn’t have a kid called Arango, then Fina will call in Pappa Guido Landucci’s Great Big Loan. What a spider!  

·      It is clear that she knows that she might have to resort to nefarious means to get Flo inseminated with said grandchild because she orders her driver to take a detour by a fertility clinic on her way home to La Ermita. She is taking no chances with this one. I wonder if Alfonsina is going to get to look though a book to pick out the baby daddy. She is going to have to go a long way to find a baby daddy up to the caliber of her son. Handsome, bright, seems to have a heart,  great bod—good luck with this one Alfie.

Tovar House

·      Doctor Tovar is still in bed after being attacked last night by an all-too--cheerful Augusto Castanon.

·      Let me see if I have got this straight. Augusto and Carmina host a dinner party, Begonia and Edmundo were the guests. Uninvited guest Alfonsina showed up and spilled the beans about Edmundo and Carmina’s short and unhappy affair to Augusto. Augusto invited Edmundo out to the Cantina for after dinner drinks and beats the living crap out of his dinner guest. Once again, I am not feeling kindly disposed toward ‘Gusto Catfood. I am not amused by the very good job that the Abismo make-up department is doing of replicating facial wounds on Doc Tovar’s broken face.

·      Carmina comes over to the Tovar’s house and sweetly asks Begonia if she could have just a few words with Edmundo. Begonia says yes.

·      Carmina goes to Edmundo’s room and start’s a huge fight…she thinks he has been blabbing her secrets everywhere.

·      Enrique comes in to tell his Dad he just got fired from the procesadora. I guess that is good. He’ll have more time to impregnate Flo so she can claim to be pregnant by Dam-stupid-if-he-believes-it. Begonia knows that Alfonsina is behind this. No sh!# Sherlock! In fairness, I must say that Begonia looks lovely today.  She is doing such a nice job at rehab; do we have to take her out at the knees with the Carmina is the lover thing? Gawd. I want to see this Bumble reformed and working on Team Elisa and Dam.

Elisa and Augusto Go For A Ride to Stef’s Old Lands

·      Augusto makes Elisa a proposition she doesn’t refuse; will she leave La Ermiat forever with him and start over somewhere else? He wants to get his daughter back. Lolita is getting married and he wants to start over as a family without Carmina. Yes, Elisa will go. No she will not tell anybody. They will go after Delores’ wedding.

·      Huh? They went round about Damian. She needs to tell him What did they finally come up with? Arghhh. Recapper scream of “No!” echoes all the way to D.F….

Procesadora

·      Paolo starts stalking his brother at the procesadora with  a smarmy, ” I need to talk to you, brother,” ploy. He lays it on thick with the old, “You are like a father to me routine. Guido to gullible and good looks to be buying it hook line a sinker. Somebody start a rescue Guido club. The man needs a lifeline and QUICK!

·      Maru looks lovely in bright pink today.

Don Lucio and Blanca’s Former Dress Shop

·      Horacio and Delores meet at Blanca and Lucio’s old dress shop for a blessing of the space. Horacio looks very anxious and is wringing his hands at the beginning of the scene. Don Lucio, there to open the former shop, is formally introduced to Horacio for the first time. Lucio reminds all that he met Horacio earlier when Horacio came to get his horse but that he is happy to meet Delores’s fiancée, who, of course, must be a good man. The scary woo-oooo  mezzo-sopranos begin to sing above the action.

·      Padre Lupe walks up to the shop front speaking absurdly of his delay by TRAFFIC. What? Lupe? I can see the church across the street? Lupe has the horse-bit hat twisted in one hand and a dashing medium-green business blessing stole over his shoulder. He is handsome as ever.

At the New Greenhouses

·      Gael and Damian have a conversation about Damian quitting work a little early to go talk to Don ‘Gusto Catfood. Gael chides Damian for not working hard enough. These greenhouses are now his only Patrimony, blah, blah, blah. Mostly we look at the Zepeda and Tacher, shirtless, in jeans, in the sandy scrub, under the Yucatan sky. I’ll give them 25 minutes or so to stop that. Oh, dialogue? What dialogue? Ah, no meaningful dialogue, but they each picked up a large, burlap bag of something that was purporting to be habanero pepper starts and threw it over their shirtless bodies and walked away from the camera. This was not a bad scene.

At Don Lucio and Blanca’s Former Dress Shop

·      Inside at the former Dress Shop, Padre Lupe makes his way around the premises with the tools of his trade, the censor, the holy water, prayers for peace and prosperity. Lucio is silent, hat in hand as Lupe finished his business.  Horacio hangs his head in a way that could be taken as respectful or guilty. A tear fall down his cheek. Lolita holds tightly to Horacio’s arm.

·      Just as Lupe is finishing up, in walks Doña Ramona, Curandera Extraordinaire. Lolita has not failed to hedge her bets but Padre Lupe is not upset. He has the utmost respect for Doña Ramona and her methods. Ramona waves a sheaf of no-doubt powerfully cleansing herbs about as she shoots a dark glance at Horacio.

·      Horacio is acting very nervous indeed. He is holding his head in his hands and would probably rock if he were sitting in a chair. Ramona starts mumbling like the Delphic Oracle and pointing at Horacio. Ominous music plays as Ramona speaks of weird energy, hidden things, mysteries, and secrets. Lolita looks alarmed, as well she should.

Blue House of Shame

·      Ingrid and Gabino discuss her worries about Kenia’s disappearance. Right now, Ingrid seems concerned that Kenia is making an odd move. But while Ingrid has no motherly instincts she has a nose for trouble. Kenia’s behavior may upset her plans.

Former Dress Shop, Now Newly Blessed Butcher Shop, Yuk

·      Horacio and Lolita face off against an upset Ramona who is wailing about hidden secrets. Horacio leaves by himself.

Augusto Was Nice To Elisa For Five Minutes

·      Gael rides up to Augusto who tells him, apropos of absolutely nothing,

·      “Right now Gael, the most important thing for me is the happiness of Elisa.”

·      Augusto goes over to visit Lucio. Augusto talks about wanting the happiness of Elisa more than anything. He also insists that Elisa is not his daughter, she is Rosendo’s. There are many things he does not know; but he knows this.

·      Lucio asks why he is determined to leave the town with Elisa. Because it will keep him from having to kill Damian. Because nothing less than death will separate those two and they are both the children of Rosendo Arango.

·      Wrong again, Catfood.

·      Augusto is truly the FOOL in this deck of cards, poor bastard.

o   A father when he thinks he isn’t.

o   Not a father when he thinks he is.

o   Not a cuckold when he thinks he is one.

o   A cuckold when he thinks he is not.

o   Othello to Desdemona.

o   A proud idiot.

o   The guy is a train wreck, violent, sentimental, mean and very destructive, but you gotta know that Carmina Bouvier has REALLY done him wrong with her lies about Estefania.

Casa Castañon

·      Elisa is happy about the five minutes her dad was nice to her. She seems elated about the idea going away with her dad. As long as it is after Lolita’s wedding. WHAAT IS SHE THINKING??? She tells Lolita who is happy for her.

·      But, the Tiny Brown Recluse Carmina is waiting and she breaks into their happy time with, “Elisa, your Father does not love you. It is not possible.”

·      Elisa responds with, “Ay, Tia. Truly you will take any opportunity to ruin a  happy moment. “

·      Lolita tells Guppy Lips to scram (thanks Sara!) and hurries Elisa out of the kitchen. I think Carmina wants to drop the “You are sibs,” bomb on Elisa, herself, but she didn’t get a chance this time.

·      Elisa is worried about how Damian’s conversation has gone with her Dad.

·      Elisa and Lolita talk about her upcoming wedding.

·      Master Bedroom

·      Carmina and Augusto spat yet again.

·      Carmina confesses her brief fling with Edmundo.

·      Augusto says that nothing happened between that Kenia and himself, partly because of the respect he had for his marriage vows to Carmina and partly because of Estafania. I guess we are not discussing Paolo here.

At Casa Arango

·      Paolo continues to manipulate his brother. He wants his job back at the procesa dora.

·      A disgusted looking Flo returns home with a triumphant Alfonsina. Now it looks like no one is headed for D.F.

Town Center, La Ermita

·      Paloma and Gael meet up outside the Doctor’s office.

·      They talk about THE RELATIONSHIP. Whatever.

Tomorrow

·      With a little luck we will find out why Elisa is so stoopid. I know, because she really IS Augusto's daughter. Why in the name of I.M. Pei would she commit to run away with her Dad? Color me confused.

·      It sure looks like Lolita is getting married to Horacio. She looks like a lovely bride.